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Asian American Identity Crisis
In lieu of the dilemma faced by the Asian American Poet with Identity. My hope is to provide a little insight of the inner workings of this dilemma, how it has evolved and where it seems to be headed. 'Asian American Poetry - Background' Almost all Asian American poetry even as it tries to evade, disassociate or eliminate words that search for commonality, assimilation and identity with American Culture cannot because these themes are at its core. From the first large stream of Asian American immigrants that travelled to Louisiana and the West coast to make the United States their home, it became apparent that a search for identity in their home would be an issue. The Eastern way of life in every way clashed with Western philosophy and because of it, the Asian American would soon find it hard to associate itself with either their origin country or their newly adopted one. Contemporary Asian American Poets, such as Nick Carbo, Timothy Yu and Victoria Chang all agree that even after a century of Asian American poetry written in this country, “the search for identity was the core of issues that surround much of Asian American Poetry”. The reason identity is such a resounding subject in Asian American poetry and literature could stem from a multitude of reasons. The latest scholarly work on the subject of the Asian American writer or poet and their search for an American identity has changed within the last decade. Many scholars feel that the Asian American poet/writer will never find an identity because their contribution is a focused lens that provides a unique view of the poet’s personal experience. The question then becomes why? Why is it that the Asian American cannot have a broader identity, one that fits the multitude in their culture? One of the reasons is assimilation, the Asian American has historically done whatever necessary to assimilate to the place they call home. In the case of the immigrant Asian American, they have done it through participating in interracial relationships, or their willingness to adhere to American pop culture. It is not because the Asian American does not embrace the culture of their origin country, but rather its quick assimilation of the new culture and a long history of this assimilation into American mainstream has left little for the Asian American to long for from their origin country. Beyond their physical features that make it evident they are either Asian immigrants or come from Asian heritage, many writers and poets are born and bred Americans. Thus, we can hear it, see it and live it in the poetry of the Asian American. 'Contribution of the Asian American Poet' The issue of identity in Asian American poetry is unique. Although many of the different races and cultures in America share the same struggle of trying to find their identity in this country, the Asian American cultures' striving for identity is different. American pop culture has stereotyped the Asian American through cinema, through its food, and through its traditional customs. Most Americans pigeonhole Asian Americans into these universal stereotypes. Most Americans, who, by the way, come from different cultures as well, forget the expansiveness of the continent and the uniqueness each area of the continent brings. Thus, the term Asian American is too broad a term to label a poet of this area or the world. This is argued by many scholars: most notably, Cynthia Nakashima, who explained it as probably best to revert to identifying Asian Americans as Chinese Americans, Vietnamese Americans, and so on. The contribution of the Asian American poet will always have at the core of their poetry the resentment, struggle and experience of the Asian American. It will remain in the poetry because they will always continue to express the uniqueness of their experience as people of Asian descent in the United States and their wanting to break free from the preconceived notions of who the Asian is and what they represent. In striving to break free from the Asian American stereotypes it provides a lens for the reader of what the Asian American Experience is like. Thus, through the many Asian American Poets out there we are offered a unique experience because their diversity is plentiful in the United States. The words, feelings and voice they share are unique but their quest for identity is what bonds this poetry together. 'Works Cited' Chang, Victoria. ed. Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation. Urbana and Chicago. Univeristy of Illinois Press. Print. 2004. Eunsong, K. and Choi, Don Mee. Refusal=Intervention. The Margins. Asian American Writer's Workshop. 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. Lee, Maria G. Autobiography: Straight Up With a Twist, The English Journal, Vol. 94, National Council of Teachers of English. No. 3(Jan.,2005). Pp. 25-28 Nakashima, Cynthia. "Asian American Studies Through (Somewhat Asian Eyes: Integrating 'Mixed Race' Into the Asian American Discourse", Bloomington Indiana University Press, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 26 Oct. 2014. Santa Ana, Jeffrey I. Asian North American Identities: Beyond The Hyphen: Affect-Identity: The Emotions of Assimilation, Multiraciality, and Asian American Subjectivity, Blommington Indiana University Press, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 26 Oct. 2014. Ty, Eleanor Rose, and Donald C. Goellnight. Asian North American Identitites: Beyond the Hyphen, Bloomington Indiana Univerity Press, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 26 Oct. 2014.